It's a club most people in the area have never heard of, and a sport most sports fans have not witnessed. But on Tuesdays and Thursdays, men from across the Auburn area practice the game they love.
Meet the Leeco Lions, a group of Lee County residents bringing rugby to the Plains.
"We are not a legitimate club through USA rugby yet," said David Bess, captain of the Lions. "We are having practices wherever we can, mainly in city parks."
The team's roots lie in the Auburn University club rugby team and the Montgomery Yellowhamers.
Bess played rugby through the University club team for five years before graduating in 2009. He then joined the Yellowhammers and talked some of his former teammates into joining him.
"I played at Auburn for four years until my eligibility ran out," said Jim Smith, a member of the Lions. "So I hopped on in Montgomery where David had been playing for awhile."
Bess and Smith were soon joined by Michael Pair, a former player for the Auburn club team. They enjoyed playing for Montgomery, but it was a burden to make the drive from Auburn twice a week.
"We were feeling the financial pressure of driving (to Montgomery) and started naming off guys in Auburn that could play but weren't," Pair said. "We felt like we could start something off and gave it a try."
They chose the name Leeco, which stands for Lee County, to show that they were not just an Auburn club and would take players from across the area. The name Lions was an easy decision after that.
"Lions had a nice sound to it," Bess said.
Through word of mouth, their idea has grown. The Lions now practice twice a week and have averaged about 10 players per practice.
"We have guys ranging from 18-40 years old, from current students to recent graduates and military personnel," Bess said.
However, their numbers are not yet where they want them to be.
"We would love to have more people," Smith said. "The more people there to scrimmage, the better the practice is for game-like situations."
Because of their low numbers, the group plays a style of rugby known as rugby sevens where each team has seven players on the field. Typical rugby involves 15 players on the field.
"It's like what arena football is to regular football," Bess said.
This summer, the Lions will compete in tournaments in cities such as Birmingham and Columbus, Ga. Some of the tournaments will have as many as 80 teams compete.
These tournaments require entry fees, which can be tough on a team like the Lions who have no sponsors. Everything they pay for is out of pocket.
"We have to pay $25-30 a person to pay for the entry fee," Smith said.
This rugby team is open to anyone that has an interest in playing and the will power to tough it out.
"I don't care if you haven't touched a rugby football in your life," Bess said. "We'd love to have you."
For more information about joining the Lions, contact David Bess at 334-233-7355 or bessdav@gmail.com.
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